The Tale of Talus Prismus
by TeamUnitedNerds
Summary: This story follows the origin of Prismo
1. Chapter 1

Talus Prismus was not anything exceptional. He was known among his village as being introverted, preferring to stay inside the soft, cozy library he loved to visit, curled up in a corner with a book, worn to the point of falling apart. Sometimes he would be seen on the street, and would give a friendly smile to those who passed him by, but otherwise, he had no friends, and never spoke.

Prismus's skin was dark, which made his bright pink sweater and scarf seem especially bright. His hair was pink as well, looking like a orb of curls atop his head. His eyes were a pure, radiant blue, that shone as he read. Today was an ordinary day for him, as he was once again sitting in the corner of the library, his only friend. His thin lips were pulled into a light smile as he continued to read, barely aware of those around him.

Suddenly, he saw a man walk in front of him, dressed in a shadowy hood that concealed his entire body, besides his pale, bony hands. Prismus looked up at him, and felt an icy chill run through him, before plunging his head into his book again. The man walked up to the counter of the library, and slammed his fists down upon them with a heavy thud. Prismus's head suddenly shot up, and watching him grab the elderly, fragile librarian by her collar, and shout in her face. "Where is Prismus" he asked. If Prismus was in his right mind, he would have kept his head down, and said nothing. But, something inside him made him compelled to stand up, and fling his book, while shouting "Right here, donkus!"

The book slammed against the man's head, knocking him forwards, onto his knees. He quickly rose to his feet, his head whipping around to face Prismus. Prismus gulped, his spontaneous confidence beginning to melt away. He began to back away slowly, his hands held out in front of him. "Please, I didn't mean to-" Prismus suddenly tripped over a pile of books, falling onto his back. He scrambled to get to his feet, but not before the man was standing over him. Everyone else in the library panicked, running in every direction to escape.

One of the man's bony hands was raised above his head, ready to strike down upon Prismus, when, with a loud thunking noise, he was knocked out, and fell to the ground limply, his arms and legs bent unnaturally. Prismus leapt to his feet, seeing that another figure behind him had knocked him out.

Behind him was another hooded male, but this one had a far less sinister appearance. He was extremely muscular, massive rock hard limbs rippled beneath his bright blue robe. A long, oily strand of blond hair fell from his white hood, reaching down to his feet. Only one hand of his was visible, a mechanical claw. "W...who are you?" Prismus asked, trying to keep himself from shaking.

"It doesn't matter who I am" he said, his voice a lot stronger and kinder than Prismus expected it to be. Something about it felt a little broken though, but it displayed a kind of heroism that Prismus found rare in his world. "It matters who you are, and who he was" the man said, glancing down at the hooded attacker who laid unconscious at his feet. "You're a lot more important than you think you are" he said to Prismus. "In fact, you existence of space and time itself is in your hands"

Prismus laughed shyly, feeling awkward. "I...I can't. I'm not..."

The man stopped him. "You can, and you are" he took in a deep breath "Time exists in a circle. Eventually, it comes into a full loop, where time must reset itself and start over again. The cycle has almost reached its end, and it is you who must reset it. The man who lays at my feet wanted to kill you, so that he may recreate the universe as he sees it. There will be many more like him"

Prismus was silent, amazing by the fact that he believed every word he said. Everything he said was spoken with so much conviction that he couldn't help but trust him. "How do I reset the universe?" he asked, feeling something bubble up inside of him. With every word he had ever read from one of his books, his desire for adventure grew. The idea of recreating reality made his head spin, and he had no way of fully understanding it at the moment.

The man pulled a gem out of his robe. It was small, and oval-shaped, colored a beautiful crimson. "And?" he asked, sounding more rude than he intended. "Sorry" he said "But, what do I do with this?"

The man removed a silver watch from his wrist, and snatched the crimson gem from Prismus's hand. He placed the gem into a hole in the watch, and handed it to Prismus. "Put this on" he said. Prismus placed it on his wrist. "But, I still don't understand. How does this help me reset time?" he asked, hoping he would get a direct answer. "This gem is one of a set. There is a gem in each of the dimensions. This is the gem of our world. Each gem comes with an item, such as your watch, that will grant you a different ability. When all of the gems and items are collected, you can enter the Time Room, where you will complete your goal"

Prismus's mouth hung open, wordlessly. "A...alright" he said. "And which ability does this gem give me?"

"It lets you travel to the other dimensions. All you need to do is run, and gather enough speed, before raising your arm into the air" The man opened the library door, inviting Prismus to do as he was instructed.

Prismus walked out, feeling the warm breeze against his face. He took in a deep breath, and began to sprint, using all of his energy. Fire filled his lungs, and he feared that he would tire out before he could build up enough speed. Before he felt as if he couldn't continued, he raised his arm.

He felt the world stretch around him. Everything happened at once, without logical order. Everything that could be within the confines of his own universe flash by for moments, and forever. He was bathed in a blue light, before he found himself in a new universe. He took in a deep breath, and prepared himself for what was to come. The danger, the purpose, the power, he readied himself for all of this. This was his world, and he would never let anyone take that from him. This was his world, and he would do whatever he needed to save it.


	2. Chapter 2

Prismus gazed at the new world surrounding him, stricken by pure fascination. The dimension in which he currently resided was made from glimmering crystals of a variety of colors, each reflecting the searing white light shining down upon them from a star-like orb in the sky above. His eyes were wide with intrigue. He was determined to perfectly capture this world in his head, for confining its majesty to a mere moment would be criminal.

Prismus remembered what the man had told him. He had to find this dimension's gem, and the item that went with it. He sighed, saddened that responsibly would cut into his fun. He was suddenly struck with the realization that finding a gem in this dimension would be about as simple as finding a yellow piece of grass in a field of green grass.

But, the easiest way to find anything is to ask someone who already knows where it is. Prismus looked around, now looking for any movement or other sign of life. He slowly slid his feet across the crystalline ground, and once he concluded that moving would cause him no harm, he proceeded to walk, still allowing himself to indulge in the visual miracle around him.

Prismus continued wandering, although he had no clue how long. It seemed to him that time was structured differently in this dimension, for one moment he would feel as if he had been walking for hours, and in another mere seconds. His head was spinning, and his entire concept of reality seemed to be distorted the more he walked. With a mildly frustrated growl, and a deep breath, he began to run once again.

Distance and speed must have differed too, for he managed to reach his peak speed with far more ease than he had the last time. Or, perhaps, traveling through time may have made him less out-of-shape. He thrust his arm into the air forcefully, and felt the rush of time and space embrace him. He applied all of his mental focus into getting himself back into his home dimension.

He closed his eyes, and found himself back at his library, outside of the door. He swung the door open, and glanced around, looking for any old men in hoods with robotic arms. He found that he only saw the old librarian with the wrinkled, purple skin, and the other random people wandering aimlessly through the building. "Excuse me, did you happen to see a hooded figure around here? He had a long strand of blond hair and a metallic arm" The librarian gave him a puzzled look. "Prismus, are you feeling okay?" she asked. "What are you talking about? You were just attacked by another hooded man before, why should that be so strange to you?"

"Prismus, are you feeling okay? Prismus, are you feeling okay?" The librarian asked over and over, her body caught in what appeared to be a loop. "W...what?" Prismus shouted, backing away. "Are you okay? Are you okay? Are you okay?" she chanted, continuing to repeat. "W...what's happening?" Prismus asked, as if someone would be able to answer.

And to his amazement, somebody did. Prismus's head whipped around, as he heard a voice say "She's caught in a time loop. Time begins to fall apart. The universe will collapse if it doesn't reset soon" he caught sight of the hooded man from before. "You shouldn't have come back here" he said. "I'm sorry, I just had no idea how to find the gems..." Prismus said shyly.

"There's no way of knowing" he said bluntly.

"But...I was just at this crystal dimension...and I there was nobody to ask..."

"There are more than one dimensions. Ask in another and you may find your answer"

Prismus nodded, and walked outside. He took in a breath so deep that it stung, mentally preparing himself to run.

Suddenly, in a luminous burst of searing red light, a man appeared before Prismus. His skin was a light brown, and he wore a dark blue scarf around his neck. His shirt was a blindingly bright yellow, and his pants were ordinary jeans. Around his wrist was a gold watch, the ticking of which was audible, despite Prismus being a significant distance away from him. His head whipped towards Prismus, his cold eyes meeting his.

"Who are you?" Prismus asked, trying to step back towards the library without being noticed. "The Watchman" he whispered. It sounded as if several people were talking at once as he spoke. He walked towards Prismus. Each of his steps made Prismus shiver. "W...what do you want?" he asked, pressing his hand against the door of the library, gently pushing it open. He closed his eyes, and turned around completely, shoving the door open and walking in. When he opened his eyes, he saw the Watchman in front of him, his arms crossed like a parent whose child had just drawn on the wall.

His head whipped around, his immediate instinct being to run away, perhaps warping to someplace where he would be safe. However, all that he felt was the Watchman's fist smashing into the back of his head. Prismus was unsure of whether his distorted vision was a result of time and space tearing itself apart, or from the Watchman's inhumanly forceful blow.

He felt something tighten around his throat as the Watchman grabbed him by the back of his shirt. "Now, where is the gauntlet?"

"What gauntlet?" Prismus asked, desperately trying to search his memory for any recollection of a gauntlet. He found none. "Dammit" he heard the Watchman's chorus of voices exclaim. "I must be in the wrong timeline" and with another surge of light, he was gone.

Prismus gasped, his hands wrapping around his own throat to affirm that his neck was not broken. He felt fear bubble up within him. The last enemy he had felt nowhere near as powerful as this one; the Watchman's very presence made the air around Prismus feel full of static and heat. Plus, the last enemy was defeated by the hooded man. Prismus was alone against what could quite possibly be the worst thing he could possibly encounter. His desire for adventure was dead. He no longer longed to explore what the other dimensions held, he only wanted silence and peace.

He removed the watch from his wrist, and slammed it against the ground. He thought for a moment. The other dimensions could hold anything, an infinite number of wonders and possibilities beyond anything his brain could process, and on top of that, it was his duty to reset the universe. He would die the most painful death conceivable if it allowed him to witness just a fraction of the potential beauty of reality. Within that watch was his means to it all. He lifted up the watch, and wrapped it around his wrist.

He had better things to do than be afraid.


End file.
